COS Eagles soar into history: Defeat Chabot in bowl game to go to 10-1

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By Bill Choy

Siskiyou Daily News, Yreka, CA

By Bill Choy

Posted Nov. 19, 2012 at 11:22 AM
Updated Nov 19, 2012 at 11:33 AM

By Bill Choy

Posted Nov. 19, 2012 at 11:22 AM
Updated Nov 19, 2012 at 11:33 AM

WEED

It was wet, it was cold, and the field was fairly muddy as the rain came down as it had for a good chunk of the day near the end of the College of the Siskiyous versus Chabot football game Saturday afternoon.

But for these players, coaches and fans, it did not matter, because history was being made as the COS Eagles earned its 10th win of the season. This is the first time in school history a football squad has earned 10 wins.

The Eagles downed the Gladiators of Hayward 47-18 to win the Top of the State Bowl. It was the first time since 1985 that the Eagles had hosted a bowl game.

With only a few minutes left in the contest, players grinned from ear-to-ear as shouts of "10-1, 10-1" could be heard on the COS sideline. Despite the fairly cold weather, it did not stop the players from dousing the coaches with water, as has been the tradition for years in football. Despite it being quite cold even without water covering their clothing, the coaches just laughed it off and smiled as they savored the victory.

After the game, second year head coach Charlies Roche said that it was a special feeling to know what his team had just done. "It probably won't sink in for a few weeks," he said.

Sophomore running back Christian Reyes set a school record by running for 357 yards against the Gladiators, ending his COS career as the season record holder with 1,633 rushing yards. This included an impressive 74-yard run where it appeared at first he would be taken down, but Reyes would not go down quietly as he made a few nifty moves and eluded defenders as he ran all the way to the one-yard line.

"That kid is as tough as nails" Roche said.

Reyes and sophomore standout linebacker Myke Tavarres were named the offensive and defensive MVP's of the game. Tavarres was a force of nature on the field and seemed to be involved in the majority of the defensive plays and was a disruptive force all day,

After the game, a beaming Tavarres was asked what this victory meant to him and his team.

"Words can't describe how I feel," he said, adding that it "was a total team effort."

Roche commended Tavarres for his stellar play and "buying into what we're doing here."

The Eagles did not start off well, when the Gladiators scored on its very first offensive play on a trick play that went for a 54-yard touchdown reception to give them a 7-0 lead after the successful extra point attempt. But while Chabot kept things fairly close in the first half but the second half belonged to the Eagles. In the third quarter, with the Eagles up 33-16, Chabot blocked a punt and ran in for a safety with around a minute left in the quarter. In the fourth quarter, David Guthrie of COS snatched the ball for an interception and ran 80 yards for the score as the players on the sideline knew with almost certainty that they would be winning this game,

Page 2 of 2 - Sophomore defensive back Jarrius James said that it meant a lot for him to have been a part of a season like this. He emphatically added that he felt that the COS football program is doing things the right way and believed that this was the start of a" football dynasty" at COS. He added that Roche had "something special" taking place at COS.

Another player who did well on Saturday was freshman running back Aaron Williams, who had two scores.

Roche commended his team for "playing our game plan well" and playing a "tough and physical" brand of football that is perfectly suited for the area "You have to be tough to live up here," he said.

He said that these group of kids have worked tirelessly this season, starting at spring practices, and have been rewarded for their hard work with a special 2012 season.